Google chooses site near Memphis

Mississippi to be home of first U.S. operations center

Two years after Google opened a $600 million data processing center in Northeast, Alabama, the search engine giant announced plans Thursday to build its first U.S. operations center in northwest Mississippi.

The company announced Thursday it will lease a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Southaven, Mississippi, near Memphis. Google expects the site, which will provide customer and operations support to customers worldwide, to be operational by summer 2021.

“This Google Operations Center represents a critical investment for the company and we look forward to being an active member of the local community for years to come,” said Troy Dickerson, vice president of Google Operations Center. “The new site will give us the opportunity to hire amazing local talent and we are confident that the Southaven community will be a great home for our Operations Center.”

Employees will provide customer service to Google users by handling product troubleshooting, among other tasks. The company has kicked off recruiting efforts and intends to hire 100 employees by the end of the year.

“Google is a titan in the global economy and we are honored to have their firstclass operation in our city,” said Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite.

Google’s other operations centers are located in India and the Philippines.

“This is a true testament to our skilled workforce and the increasing economic strength of our great state,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “Mississippi and the Southaven community welcome Google with open arms, and we look forward to growing this partnership and creating opportunities for success for years to come.”

Construction on the Southaven site is set to begin in the coming months.

The facility is the second major Google plant to locate in the Tennessee Valley. In 2018, Google opened a data center in Bridgeport, Alabama on a portion of TVA’s former Widows Creek fossil plant.

“... we are honored to have their first-class operation in our city.”

– SOUTHAVEN MAYOR DARREN MUSSELWHITE